Love fighting hate violence: an anti-violence program for martial arts and combat sports

Abstract

This chapter outlines the Love Fighting Hate Violence (LFHV) project: an anti-violence initiative aimed at inspiring reflection and generating pedagogical interventions within martial arts and combat sports. The goal of LFHV is to harness the potential of these activities for educating people about violence, specifically with respect to understanding the principles of consent and violation. The chapter provides a theoretical overview of the project’s core philosophy by way of an interactionist reading of fights as social encounters. It then turns to discussing some of the practical materials already developed for use within LFHV. These draw on the aforementioned theory, as well as a values-based teaching methodology, to frame the potential contribution that this project can make to anti-violence education